Ignacio Dotti Bio
Ignacio Francisco Dotti Uria is a Uruguayan rugby union player who plays as a lock for New Orleans Gold in Major League Rugby (MLR), the top professional rugby competition in the United States. Standing 1.91 m tall and weighing about 111 kg, Dotti is a physical forward known for his work in the set pieces. He has represented Uruguay internationally since 2015, including selection for the 2019 Rugby World Cup squad.
Born and raised in Montevideo, Dotti began his senior career with the Montevideo club Los Cuervos before moving abroad to play in North America. His journey from a local amateur side to a professional franchise in MLR has established him as one of Uruguay’s most reliable second-row forwards of his generation.
Early Life and Background
Ignacio Francisco Dotti Uria was born on 18 August 1994 in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay. Growing up in Montevideo, he was exposed to rugby through Uruguay’s strong amateur club culture, where the sport has been played competitively for more than seven decades. The capital’s clubs and schools form the traditional pipeline for Uruguayan rugby talent, and Dotti’s development followed that well-established pathway.
For his secondary education, Dotti attended Ivy Thomas Memorial School in Montevideo, one of the institutions long associated with the country’s rugby community. He later continued his studies at Universidad ORT, a private university in Uruguay, balancing his academic commitments with an increasingly demanding rugby schedule during his late teens.
Path to Rugby
Dotti’s senior rugby career began in 2013 when he joined Los Cuervos, an amateur club in Montevideo where he spent the next six years developing as a lock. Working his way through local and regional competitions, he built the physical presence and set-piece technique that would later define his professional profile. His progress at Los Cuervos drew the attention of Uruguay’s national coaching staff.
In 2014, Dotti represented Uruguay at the Under-20 level, gaining valuable international age-grade experience. The following year, on 11 April 2015, he made his full international debut for Uruguay in a South American Championship match against Paraguay, marking his arrival on the senior representative stage.
Ignacio Dotti Career
Early Career (2013-2018)
Between 2013 and 2018, Dotti played for Los Cuervos in Montevideo, becoming a key member of the club’s forward pack. The period allowed him to develop the lineout skills, scrummaging power, and defensive work that are essential for a modern lock. His consistent club form in Uruguay’s domestic and South American club competitions laid the foundation for both his international breakthrough and his eventual move to professional rugby.
During this amateur phase, Dotti also progressed through Uruguay’s age-grade representative teams, representing the country’s Under-20 side in 2014. Those representative appearances, combined with his senior club performances, helped position him for selection to the senior national team shortly afterward.
International Breakthrough (2015-2018)
Dotti made his senior international debut for Uruguay on 11 April 2015 in a South American Championship fixture against Paraguay. The appearance launched a continuous run of senior international service for Los Teros, as Uruguay’s national team is known. He went on to establish himself as a regular lock in the national squad throughout the remainder of the South American Championship cycle, helping Uruguay compete against regional rivals including Argentina, Chile, and Brazil.
By 2019, his form and consistency at international level had earned him a place in Uruguay’s 31-man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The selection, announced on 30 August 2019, represented the biggest stage of his career to that point and confirmed his standing among Uruguay’s leading second-row players of his generation.
New Orleans Gold Era (2019-Present)
In October 2018, Dotti signed for New Orleans Gold ahead of the second season of Major League Rugby, becoming one of the earliest Uruguayan forwards in the league. He played 13 matches for the Gold during that debut MLR season, quickly adapting to the pace and physical demands of North American professional rugby. On 25 August 2019, the franchise announced a one-year contract extension for Dotti, signaling his continued importance to the team’s forward pack.
Since then, Dotti has remained a fixture in the New Orleans Gold roster, contributing to the team’s set-piece platform and providing veteran leadership in the second row. His presence in MLR has also strengthened ties between Uruguayan rugby and the American professional competition, with several of his international teammates following similar paths.
Driving Style and Strengths
As a lock, Dotti relies on a combination of size, lineout acumen, and close-quarters physicality. Standing 6 ft 3 in and weighing about 244 lb, he is built for the collisions at the breakdown and the demands of the scrum, while also offering reliable jumping ability in the lineout. His experience in both South American and American competitions has helped him develop a pragmatic, work-rate-driven style suited to the forward role.
Notable Events and Milestones
Dotti’s career highlights include his senior international debut against Paraguay in 2015, his 2019 Rugby World Cup selection with Uruguay, and his multi-season tenure with New Orleans Gold in Major League Rugby. His 13 appearances in his debut MLR campaign remain a useful benchmark of his early impact in the American league.
Ignacio Dotti Career Wins
Across his senior career, Ignacio Francisco Dotti Uria has accumulated a series of representative and club appearances rather than a publicly cataloged list of individual trophy wins. The sections below summarize the verifiable competitive highlights of his career with Los Cuervos, New Orleans Gold, and Uruguay.
International Highlights
Dotti has been a regular member of Uruguay’s senior squad since his debut on 11 April 2015 in a South American Championship match against Paraguay. He was selected for Uruguay’s 31-man squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup, one of the most significant achievements of his international career to date. He has continued to represent Uruguay in the South American Championship in subsequent seasons.
Club Highlights
With amateur side Los Cuervos, Dotti spent six seasons from 2013 to 2018 developing as a lock in Montevideo. Since moving to New Orleans Gold, he has played multiple Major League Rugby seasons, including 13 appearances in his first MLR campaign. The Gold’s continued selection of Dotti through contract extensions underlines his consistent contribution to the club’s forward pack.
Ignacio Dotti Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Public information about Ignacio Francisco Dotti Uria’s immediate family is limited. He was born and raised in Montevideo, Uruguay, and developed through the country’s amateur rugby system, but specific details about his parents and siblings are not widely documented in available sources.
Personal Life
Dotti attended Ivy Thomas Memorial School for his secondary education and later studied at Universidad ORT in Uruguay. He is known primarily for his professional rugby career with New Orleans Gold and his international service with Uruguay, and his personal life outside rugby remains largely private.
2025 Season Performance
Entering the 2025 Major League Rugby season, Ignacio Dotti remains part of the New Orleans Gold forward pack, providing experienced second-row leadership. The 2025 campaign is part of his ongoing tenure with the franchise that began with his signing in October 2018 ahead of MLR’s second season.
With multiple MLR seasons now behind him and continued service to the Uruguayan national team, Dotti approaches 2025 as a seasoned professional whose set-piece reliability remains valuable to the Gold. The franchise’s continued investment in his contract reflects an expectation of consistent contribution on both sides of the ball.
For Uruguay, the 2025 calendar also brings continued South American Championship and international-window fixtures, in which Dotti remains eligible for selection. His combination of MLR form and international experience positions him as a likely contributor to Uruguay’s senior squad throughout the year.